I’m having a hard time getting over the stigma of being unemployed. Yes, I’m still on the payroll for a few more months and then severance after that, but part of me feels like I’ve been violated.
Looking for a job now feels more like begging. I was planning on trying to leave anyway but on my own terms.
I know I’ll find something else eventually. It’s just the in-between time that is mentally exhausting.
But…but they keep telling us the job market is resilient. They keep telling us employers can’t find any workers. They keep telling us the unemployment rate is the lowest since World War II.
I think I just need to move to the mountains, grow a 10 foot long beard, and eat possums for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
I've been doing software for a long time. I've volunteered for a layoff almost as good as this one (in terms of compensation). I've had a company go out of business. Sometimes it is about you - you are the last one in, or a bad fit, or the most expensive in your department. Sometimes it is not about you, someone was told they must pick n people. This is a good opportunity to say when you are interviewing, you don't know the criteria, no one knows the criteria. But jobs go to those who ask for them.
I'm taking my motorcycle on a two-week trip down to Key West. Never dreamed I'd have 2 full weeks to do that while I was employed. Vacation time was precious and had to be spent with family or visiting others. Enjoy a long-earned break, do things you haven't time to do previously, volunteer longer over the holidays, check off items on that long honey do list, take that trip you've always wanted. It'll make TU start to disappear further in your rear-view mirror. The job market can wait just a little. Your physical and mental health will appreciate the break.
It's not your skillset, performance, or knowledgebase that got you laid off. TU is simply rolling the dice that cheap offshore labor can get the job done for less than US labor. Offshoring is nothing new. Been going on for over 20 years. It is probably the #1 recommendation of most high-priced consulting firms. They might as well copy/paste the recommendation. Just move on to where your skills are still valued. There are still plenty of US companies that still hire local.
Meant to say NOT my fault lol